Limited Fall Access & Vaccination/Face Covering Policies

Limited Fall Access & Vaccination/Face Covering Policies

Starting Monday October 4th, Pacifica will begin allowing a limited number of students to access the physical campuses and limited services. Campus access will be available Monday-Thursday 10am-2pm by approved prior reservation only. For more information about the Limited Fall Access, please click here.

To comply with federal regulatory requirements and facilitate a safe and limited access in the fall and in preparation for a full and safe return for winter 2022, Pacifica has implemented a COVID-19 vaccination requirement and face covering mandate for students, staff, faculty, and all campus visitors.  Mirroring what we are all experiencing in various aspects of life, we acknowledge this requirement will not come with full consensus support but reflects a common, reasonable measure allowing us to achieve a return to public activities, while complying with President Biden’s recent order requiring all organizations like Pacifica that employ over 100 individuals to implement a vaccine mandate for its employees and contractors. Please refer to the updated list of FAQs for more details and links to the entire policies.

View the Limited Fall Access FAQs

Greetings, Pacifica Community. After announcing the decision to remain remote for the fall quarter with plans to reopen in winter, we received a broad range of responses and inquiries. The FAQs accessed through the link below were developed to address key questions and topics around the status of Pacifica’s response to pandemic-related matters. We are currently considering additional opportunities for direct engagement with the community around these matters in the near future. We appreciate your continued attentiveness to these and other developments, as we continue navigating this time of heightened uncertainty and fragmentation, increased social and political polarization, and oscillating COVID infection rates with the attendant effects and trauma, of which we are all suffering on a daily basis and know is sharply impacting our entire community.

View the Limited Fall Access FAQs

Since we last provided an institutional update about the status of Pacifica’s campuses and methods of course delivery, the Institute has been engaged in careful analysis of the impact of the pandemic on the diverse needs of our community. The great complexities and demands the pandemic has imposed on us have created a significant challenge as to when and how to safely and optimally reopen our campuses.

Based on all available information and considerations at this time – not the least of which are the quality of education, health, and safety – Pacifica has decided to continue with the remote delivery of all academic programs through the fall 2021 quarter. We are committed to reopen and resume our regular on-campus class schedules beginning in winter 2022 quarter, provided no further health or safety edicts prohibit this. Our decision was formulated after consultation with and mindful input from all sectors of the Institute, including our Board of Trustees and permission from our accreditation agencies to continue providing remote content delivery. We recognize the varying perspectives on reopening that exist among our students, faculty, and staff, and understand this is a decision that will result in a broad spectrum of reactions.

This is also a moment different from that of our last message, marked, thankfully, by fallen COVID-19 numbers, increasing vaccinations, and large-scale reopenings now taking place across society and higher education. While California and Santa Barbara County may now permit in-person gatherings on campus, the reality is that Pacifica is a school with a broad demographic that is not restricted to a single locality. The valued uniqueness of Pacifica’s student and faculty body, dispersed across the globe and supported by our low residency models, would result in large groups coming into close proximity from diverse locations for short stays. Though we are grateful for the improved circumstances in California and elsewhere, we are mindful that evolving conditions of COVID-19 and its variants still have an impact on other states and regions that are home to our students and faculty.

Additionally, in preparation for a full and successful winter reopening, Pacifica strongly encourages all of its community members to get vaccinated, unless medical or religious reasons supersede communal health concerns. We recognize, however, that while proven safe and effective in reducing the spread of the virus, the vaccines are still under Emergency Use Authorization. We shall monitor their FDA approval status and all the developing conditions related to health, planning, and educational equity over the coming months so we can secure a smooth and safe path for a winter 2022 return to campus.

The impact of the pandemic on the Institute and society as a whole has been significant and lengthy, and we miss the lively presence and treasured aspects of having students, faculty, and staff on campus. We maintain the commitment to delivering vibrant and meaningful education and community support. The collective resiliency and dedication demonstrated across Pacifica continues to be valued deeply. Currently, we are exploring ways to further our engagement together with the possibility of limited access to the campuses and grounds during the fall, as well as continuing to refine and enhance the distance learning experience, as we head toward winter re-opening.

You are all in our hearts and minds and hope you are safe and well. We will communicate additional updates in the coming weeks, including information on our COVID-related FAQ webpage, that will contain more details about fall, as well as the specifics about resuming on-campus classes in January 2022.

Sincerely,

Joseph Cambray, Ph.D., President/CEO
Pacifica Graduate Institute

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